Basset hounds and their owners will be counting their blessings Saturday at Beaver Lake.
A Basset Blessing will be held at the Beaver Lake filter beds at 11 a.m. Sept. 30.
“It’s very casual, because it’s outdoors,” said Lydia Mills, who has organized the event for the past nine years.
Mills said she decided to organize the event to bring attention to pets’ important role in the family.
“Studies have shown pets bring down heart rate, provide company for a person who lives alone, is a companion to go on a walk with,” she said, adding the blessing helps owners recognize their pet’s importance in the overall scheme of things.
The event costs $5 and includes games, a raffle and a Basset race.Mills says she decided to focus on Bassets because she herself has one.
“There are so many Bassets in Victoria and the outlying areas, and Bassets get along very well together,” she said, adding events like the races wouldn’t go over as well if they pitted Bassets against larger, faster dogs.
The event will be held at the Beaver Lake filter beds, with green signs directing the way from Elk Lake Road to the second parking lot that has a protected picnic area and washrooms. Mills is asking people to bring snacks to share with the other dog owners.
